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  1. Home
  2. Speaker
  3. Compare
  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Pictures
    2. Style
    3. Portability
    4. Build Quality
    5. Controls
    6. In The Box
  5. Sound
    1. Frequency Response Accuracy
    2. Raw Frequency Response
    3. Soundstage
    4. Dynamics
  6. Active Features
    1. Battery
    2. Voice Assistant
    3. App
  7. Connectivity
    1. Wired
    2. Bluetooth
    3. Wi-Fi
  8. Comments

Apple HomePod (1st generation) vs Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 Gen 2

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Apple HomePod (1st generation)
Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 Gen 2

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Sep 04, 2024 07:33 PM

SEARCH
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Sep 04, 2024 07:31 PM

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Amazon.com
Apple HomePod (1st generation) Picture
Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 Gen 2 Picture
Bluetooth
No
Wi-Fi
Yes
Speakerphone
Yes
Voice Assistant
Yes
Battery Powered
No
Bluetooth
Yes
Wi-Fi
No
Speakerphone
Yes
Voice Assistant
Yes
Battery Powered
Yes

Variants

  • HomePod (1st generation) (Space Gray)
  • HomePod (1st generation) (White)
  • Beosound A1 Gen 2 (Black)
  • Beosound A1 Gen 2 (Gold)
  • Beosound A1 Gen 2 (Green)
  • Beosound A1 Gen 2 (Grey Mist)
  • Beosound A1 Gen 2 (Pink)

Review

See Apple HomePod (1st generation) review

See Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 Gen 2 review

0
0

Our Verdict

Apple HomePod (1st generation)

Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 Gen 2

The Apple HomePod (1st generation) is a better speaker than the Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 Gen 2. The Apple gets louder and has a more extended low-bass and a more neutral sound profile out-of-the-box. It also supports Wi-Fi, while the Bang & Olufsen supports Bluetooth. However, it may be harder to find in new condition since it's been discontinued. That said, the Bang & Olufsen has a better build and a more portable design. There's also the 'Beosonic' feature and five EQ presets on its companion app to help you customize its sound.

0

Check Price

Space Gray
HomePod (1st generation)
SEARCH
Amazon.com
Black
Beosound A1 Gen 2
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
White
HomePod (1st generation)
SEARCH
Amazon.com
Gold
Beosound A1 Gen 2
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Green
Beosound A1 Gen 2
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Grey Mist
Beosound A1 Gen 2
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Pink
Beosound A1 Gen 2
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Main Differences for

Threshold 

0.10

Music 

7.0
6.5

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

7.3
6.4

EQ 
 

No
Presets

Dynamics 
 

6.8
5.8

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Style Photo  

Apple HomePod (1st generation) Style Photo
Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 Gen 2 Style Photo

RGB Lights  

No
No

Show text

Portability 
 

4.2
9.3

Dimensions Photo  

Apple HomePod (1st generation) Dimensions Photo
Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 Gen 2 Dimensions Photo

Volume 
 

203 in³ (3,332 cm³)
46 in³ (749 cm³)

Weight 
 

5.5 lbs (2.5 kg)
1.1 lbs (0.5 kg)

Power Source 
 

AC Only
Battery & USB

One-Hand Carry 
 

No
Yes

Show text

Build Quality 
 

6.4
8.3

Build Quality Photo  

Apple HomePod (1st generation) Build Quality Photo
Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 Gen 2 Build Quality Photo

Material Quality 
 

Good
Great

Water Resistance 
 

No
Submersible (IPx7)

Dust Resistance 
 

Unspecified
Dust-Proof (IP6x)

Impact Resistance 
 

No
No

Floats In Water 
 

No
Unspecified

Show text

Controls 
 

8.0
8.9

Controls Photo  

Apple HomePod (1st generation) Controls Photo
Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 Gen 2 Controls Photo

Controls Photo 2  

Apple HomePod (1st generation) Controls Photo 2
Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 Gen 2 Controls Photo 2

Ease Of Use 
 

Great
Great

Feedback 
 

Great
Good

Music Play/Pause 
 

Yes (Tactile)
Yes (Physical)

Call Answer/End 
 

Yes (Tactile)
Yes (Physical)

Volume Up/Down 
 

Yes (Tactile)
Yes (Physical)

Track Next/Previous 
 

Yes (Tactile)
Yes (Physical)

Microphone On/Off 
 

No
Yes (Physical)

Additional Controls 
 

Yes
Yes

Show text

In The Box 
 

In The Box Photo  

Apple HomePod (1st generation) In The Box Photo
Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 Gen 2 In The Box Photo

Show text

Sound

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

7.3
6.4

Frequency Response Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Slope 
 

0.19
-0.25

Std. Err. 
 

2.35 dB
3.95 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

53.4 Hz
62.6 Hz

High-Frequency Extension 
 

19.1 kHz
13.5 kHz

Show text

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw Frequency Response Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Binaural Recording @ 1m 
 

Binaural Recording @ 2m 
 

Soundstage 
 

7.5
7.4

Directivity Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Directivity Index 
 

0.97 dB
1.09 dB

Stereo 
 

No (mono)
No (mono)

Show text

Dynamics 
 

6.8
5.8

Dynamic Range Compression  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

88.5 dB SPL
84.2 dB SPL

DRC @ Max Volume 
 

2.41 dB
3.33 dB

Show text

Active Features

Battery 
 

0.0
3.2

Battery Life 
 

N/A
4.6 hrs

Charge Time 
 

N/A
4.9 hrs

Power Saving 
 

No
No

Charging Port 
 

No Battery
USB-C

Battery Powered 
 

No
Yes

Show text

Voice Assistant 
 

10
10

Alexa 
 

No
Yes (Requires Smartphone)

Google Assistant 
 

No
No

Speakerphone 
 

Yes
Yes

Siri 
 

Built-in
No

Voice Assistant 
 

Yes
Yes

Voice Activation 
 

Yes
Yes

Microphone Mute 
 

Yes
Yes

Far-Field Performance 
 

Excellent
Excellent

Ambient Noise Performance 
 

Excellent
Excellent

Show text

App 
 

6.6
6.0

App Picture  

Apple HomePod (1st generation) App Picture
Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 Gen 2 App Picture

App Name 
 

Apple Home
Bang & Olufsen

iOS 
 

Yes
Yes

Android 
 

No
Yes

EQ 
 

No
Presets

Stereo Pair Mode 
 

Yes
Yes

Party Mode 
 

Yes
No

Multi-Room 
 

Yes
No

Show text

Connectivity

Wired 
 

Aux Input 
 

No
No

USB Audio 
 

No
Yes

Other Ports 
 

No
No

Show text

Bluetooth 
 

0.0
8.3

Bluetooth 
 

No
Yes

Bluetooth Version 
 

No Bluetooth
5.1

Bluetooth iOS Latency 
 

N/A
104 ms

Bluetooth Android Latency 
 

N/A
160 ms

Bluetooth Range 
 

N/A
334.6 ft (102.0 m)

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

No
2 Devices

Show text

Wi-Fi 
 

8.1
0.0

Wi-Fi Version 
 

Wi-Fi 5
No Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi Frequency Band 
 

2.4GHz & 5GHz
No Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi 
 

Yes
No

Apple AirPlay 
 

Yes
No

AirPlay Latency 
 

37 ms
N/A

Google Chromecast 
 

No
No

Chromecast Latency 
 

N/A
N/A

Show text

Check Price

Space Gray
HomePod (1st generation)
SEARCH
Amazon.com
Black
Beosound A1 Gen 2
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
White
HomePod (1st generation)
SEARCH
Amazon.com
Gold
Beosound A1 Gen 2
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Green
Beosound A1 Gen 2
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Grey Mist
Beosound A1 Gen 2
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Pink
Beosound A1 Gen 2
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Back to Top

Apple HomePod (1st generation)

Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 Gen 2

Comments

  1. Comparison
 • Posted 1 year ago

Apple HomePod (1st generation) vs Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 Gen 2: Main Discussion

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